Hamilton is having a good year. A spate of affordable and versatile releases was perhaps crowned earlier this summer by the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Converter collection. It was popular among the Fratello team when it was announced. As such, Im taking another look at it today as it is now available to buy (after a long wait).Rather than burying the lede for the sake of suspense, I will do something rather unusual for Fratello and mention the price in the first paragraph. Thats not because the cost of these watches is the?only reason to buy them, but rather because it makes assessing the quality of the design elements (and their execution) all the more interesting. The automatic version of Ham...
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omega Day-Date ref 118138 and 118139The watch that doesnt need further introduction, the omega Day-Date. Introduced in 1956 as the first chronometer wristwatch that had a day and date complication. A classic timepiece from the start, that in the meanwhile has and had a lot of prominent owners. This year during the Baselworld 2013 exhibition, omega introduced a few new variations to their flagship collection, yellow, Everrose and white gold Day-Date models on a leather strap with the following dial colors: cognac (yellow gold), ?cherry (white or Everrose gold), chocolate (white or Everrose gold), green (yellow gold) and blue (white or Everrose gold).?Day-Date , a Ladies or Mens Watch?Origin...
It's This Week in Watches for August 31, 2019 and we have loads of news today!Well, if last week's This Week in Watches got you down due to the dearth of news, then this week just might overload your senses.? It seems summer is truly over and the watch companies have responded by opening the flood dams.? Or, more likely, it's been six months since Basel. ??Ok, let's step into some new watch news!Timex Navi XLFirst up on This Week in Watches is a new one from Timex, the Navi XL.? Inspired by the brand's first diver-style watch, the Navi XL is a 41mm quartz-powered watch with a rotating bezel.? It's water-resistant to 100 meters, but has a snap case back, so this really is more of a sports wat...
Well, so far I havent been the biggest poster on Fratello. Being busy with a lot of other stuff I found it hard to come up with a nice subject for a new post..But now I found a interesting watch.. The Ingenieur Climate Action. Lets start with a pic (posted on ThePurists):Mm.. I actually kinda like the looks. It reminds me a bit of the white Millgauss-funk.But something isnt quite right here. Climate Action? Ok, a valid reason for a nice limited edition. With proceeds partially going to the Climate Action Fund, this is a really nice idea I guess. But it is somewhat weird when youve got a model in the same range in cooperation with Mercedes AMG in my opinion. Keep in mind AMG is famous for the...
While the Laco brands history of supplying the German airforce during World War II is a controversial topic on these pages and others (especially because the brand still engraves the side of its cases with the item code assigned to Pilots watches by the Third Reichs Reichsluftfahrtministerium), many of the luxury brands (and plenty of the humdrum) found themselves on the wrong side of history during those dark days.You need only mention brands such as BMW, Hugo Boss, Kodak, or IBM to realize that a troubling level of collaboration or at least association existed between the heads of those companies and the Nazi regime. Despite the dark chapters in these companies shared history, there all st...
Almost 20 years ago, Omega celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1998. For this occasion, they introduced a watch that was based on the Speedmaster57 Replica from one year earlier. A watch collector from Denmark has purchased this 150th Anniversary of Omega model, after it had been on his radar for a couple of years already. Lets have a closer look at Mortens gold Speedmaster watch.150th Anniversary of OmegaWith only 150 pieces of this gold Speedmaster produced, it wasnt an easy task to find one. However, Danish collector Morten found one in Spain (at Icone Watches) in mint condition and fair priced, so in a split-second he decided to go for it. Morten told us that he didnt speak about his hun...
A new Speedmaster release on a Speedy Tuesday That makes us proud. Heres the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Alinghi. Just like the Speedmaster Apollo 8 that we like so much, the Alinghi is based on the Dark Side of the Moon collection.While the Speedmaster Apollo 8 revolves around the Moon, with its caliber 1869 with moon surface pattern (applied by laser ablation), this new Speedmaster Alinghi is all about sailing. A strange combination, you say? On the surface, perhaps a watch from the Seamaster collection might have been a more obvious choice. But remember, the Alinghi boats are all about speed. A sailor on one of these boats has no intention of swimming or diving, so the 50 meters of ...
Come one come all to Wrist Game or Crying Shame. This week, we look inside the dial with the Breguet Tradition 7027 in yellow gold. But firstLast week, we took a look at the very first Tudor Black Bay model. This ETA-powered variant has earned its Smiley Face nickname due to the arc-shaped font on its dial. Despite the very lively comment section, 80% of you showed us your pearly whites on the way to a Wrist Game win. This week, we go way upmarket with the Breguet Tradition 7027. Lets see what you think.BreguetI often talk about growing up and learning about watches and brands. My Dad knew and knows quite a bit, but we were also the recipients of quite a bit of in-store learning during the e...
Welcome to This Week in Watches for August 22, 2020 the hot edition. The searing heat is about to break in Europe, so take in the cool air and some new watches.UNION Glashutte Noramis Chronograph Sachsen 2020How do you like a hot red dial? The UNION Chronographs Sachsen 2020 is a COVID victim. This chrono was designed as a celebratory piece for the Sachsen oldtimer rally. That rally has been postponed to 2021. Union will make just 350 pieces of this 42mm stainless automatic chronograph. It features a reddish dial with a dashboard-inspired theme. An ETA 7753 based movement with 60 hours power reserve called the UNG 27.02 lurks within and the watch is 15.25mm thick. Pricing is 2,875 if you tak...
On this very first Speedy Tuesday of 2020, we have some exciting news to share with you. It took Omega exactly one year from the introduction of the new caliber 321 to the introduction of the first steel Speedmaster with this movement. On this very day, one year ago, Speedy Tuesday fans were invited to Biel to witness the re-introduction of this column-wheel chronograph movement, and the guessing began.Only a few out there guessed it right, and in hindsight, it is easy to tell you that the big give-away was the watch that was used as the subject for their tomography process to get the exact version of the caliber 321 that was used in Gene Cernans watch, a Speedmaster 105.003.It was the topic...
It was only a matter of time before we saw more from the DEFY Extreme. Zenith launched the new model back at Watches Wonders in April of this year. Since then, the DEFY Extreme has quietly sat in the brands catalog, waiting its turn for the limited edition treatment. Zenith has introduced an interesting iterative update in the DEFY Extreme Desert, alongside a series of exclusive photographs by the acclaimed nature photographer Kourosh Keynejad.First, the makeover Zenith gave the DEFY Extreme Desert is subtle by the brands own bold standard. If Id had to guess what the first iterative update/limited edition may have looked like, I think Id have guessed a ceramic or forged carbon case. I mean...
This is now my fifth article in the Pre-owned Picks column, and I thoroughly enjoy scouring Chrono24 for inspiration. This week I am looking back in the not too distant past at three modern timepieces from Jaeger-LeCoultre.Readers may notice I often side-step the likes of the omega GMT Master II Pepsi or the omega Daytona Cerachrom. That is not to say these are not worth the time to seek out. Quite the opposite, these watches are in such demand that secondary market price is typically double the asking price brand new.Rare beastsInstead, I select the rare and perhaps unloved darlings in the deep, dark corners of watch collecting. Watches such as the Breitling Emergency Orbiter 3, or IWC Aqua...
Just before the lockdown, Grand Seiko announced that Fr d ric Bondoux had been appointed as President of Grand Seiko Europe. Travel restrictions kept us from meeting him for an interview and having a look at the newly opened Grand Seiko boutique in Paris until last month, but as soon as we were able to travel safely we headed off to the French capital to say hello.What better way to break the nearly-four-month grounding with a visit to Grand Seiko in Paris? The chance to talk to Fr d ric Bondoux about the Japanese brand in Europe was too tempting an offer to pass up. Check our video above to listen to what he has to say about Grand Seiko in Europe, the new boutique, and his favorite GS watch...
The year 1957 was a spectacular one for Omega. It was the year when Omega introduced the?Speedmaster,?Seamaster 300?and Railmaster. The first two are probably best? known, the Railmaster is a bit more a collectors only piece these days. However, that is the watch we are covering in this review. The 60th anniversary edition that is, that was introduced last year.You've all seen the Omega 1957 Trilogy box set with reedition of the three? legends (if not, click here). Where the Speedmaster CK2915 was introduced for timing (sports) events and the Seamaster 300 CK2913 for diving purposes, the Railmaster CK2914 was meant for people working in professional environments where they would be exposed t...
A little watch review for this weeks Speedy Tuesday topic Once upon a time, the Speedmaster Reduced enjoyed existence within Omegas collection. Those days are past. In its place is the Speedmaster 38 collection. Omega doesnt feel it necessary to explicitly define this as a gents or a ladies watch, and were just fine with that. For some wrists, this unusual addition to the range will be exactly what theyve been searching forMy wife owns two Speedmaster watches. One of which is a Moonwatch model (42mm) and the other one is this Speedmaster Lady model in 38mm. She got it in 2013, and it was clearly marked as a ladies model. Last year, my mom bought herself a Speedmaster 38 Cappuccino with the o...
The SIHH 2017 is over and were left with mixed feelings. If all SIHH brands knew how to make us smile like A. Lange S?hne seems to be able to do every year, there wouldnt be any issues. This year, A. Lange S?hne showed their 1815 Annual Calendar watch, and it immediately became the talk of the exhibition.Walter LangeIt was a bit of an awkward moment, when A. Lange S?hne gave their presentation on all the new timepieces they have for us (and you) in store. Just a few moments before, we received the message that Walter Lange (92) passed away the day before. He spent his entire life dedicated to watches and was the man who helped building up A. Lange S?hne after Germany was reunited again i...
The omega Submariner 14060What else do you need? This week Ill be very much off the beaten track, and very much off-line as well. In and out the water, swimming and hiking, name it a sporty holiday.Beatable, readable and unclutteredFor these circumstances I almost always choose a beatable, readable and uncluttered watch. Not afraid of water as well. And no date. In order not to disturb my time-off with the perspective of when it will end.A omega Submariner, although not very original nor exclusive, is perfect for this. And so thats why I chose it to wear as my 52Mondayz watch this week.Supplied in 1992The one Im wearing is a reference 14060 and has a N-serial number. It dates from 1992, as i...
When omega does an update, you know that the new version will be the same but better. In 2009, omega did the last significant upgrade of the Submariner. First the bi-color model, then the Date model (2010), followed by the classic Submariner (2012). But is it also nicer? Thats of course in the eye of the beholder, but initial opinions seem to vary since the news broke.When omega introduced its previous versions, the Submariner maintained the size of 40mm. But omega gave its diving icon beefier lugs, and more importantly a ceramic diving bezel.? It was a very welcome update, in my opinion, but I am biased since I didnt like the last aluminum bezel Submariner Date (16610). I didnt like it at a...
English actor?Roger Moore?took over Sean Connery's role as 007 in the 1973 movie Live and Let Die. The year after, he appeared in The Man with the Golden Gun, and five other Bond movies starring Moore followed The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only?(1981), Octopussy (1983), and A View to a Kill (1985). Moore (1927-2017) was the oldest Bond; he was 45 when he played 007 for the first time and retired at the age of 58. Moore portrayed Bond with humor and a omega Submariner 5513. Seiko also had a strong presence in the 1980s Bond movies. Lets have a look at the James Bond watches of Roger Moore's era.Who is your favorite Bond? Sean Connery? Daniel Craig? Both are at...
The Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Limited Edition models are here and were treated to amazing engraved details that are meant to evoke Shizukuishi the home of the brand.Shizukuishi is the location in Japan where Grand Seiko watches are expertly crafted. It also happens to be a mountainous area well known for its natural beauty. In order to celebrate the area and the birthday of Seikos upper tier marque, we have the Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Limited Edition models. Two watches were created for this anniversary and well see that both boast some amazing detailing.SBGW263 Platinum and Engraved by HandThe first and most exclusive piece within the Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Limited Edition o...